Ball sprained his ankle in a Jan. 19 loss to the Houston Rockets and hasn't played since. The 21-year-old was originally expected to miss up to six weeks, a time frame that has nearly expired. An X-ray taken following the injury showed no fracture, but an MRI indicated a fully torn ankle ligament and a grade-3 sprain.

The Lakers are 4-8 since Ball went down. They're 2.5 points per 100 possessions better offensively with Ball off the floor, but 3.5 points better defensively with him on.

Los Angeles sits 29-29, three games out of eighth place in the Western Conference with 23 games remaining.